Matthews delicious tofu - another familiar recipe

If you read my last post with garden pictures, did you notice among my pots of herbs that there was a pot with baby rainbow chard (or silverbeet) that looks denuded?  The rainbow chard has been growing very well but I harvested the leaves for Matthew's Delicious Tofu on Friday.  If that recipe seems very familiar to readers of Planet VegMel it is because I am now the fourth blog in the planet to post it.

I saw Mel of Veganise This make it last week, which reminded me how long it has been in my bookmarks.  Lately I have had a surplus of vegetables in my fridge.  Don't ask me how it got that way but every nook and cranny seemed filled.  (My mum's donation of some cauliflower and celeriac pushed it over the edge but they have been excellent in a soup with some pumpkin and cannellini beans.)  Mel used broccoli in her tofu dish and I really fancied that.

She had bookmarked the recipe from In the Mood for Noodles where it is a midweek favourite of K and Toby.  They often serve it with whatever vegies and nuts they have around and add sauce ingredients to taste.  Cindy and Michael at Where's the Beef have also made it and served it with couscous and greens.

It is great seeing the dish made by a few different bloggers.  I took bits and pieces from each of them - used more sauce like Mel but less chilli paste like K and Toby, and used vegetable oil like Cindy and Michael.  As K says, it is a great dish that is adaptable to whatever you have about.  I did take about an hour to make it but I am sure I could do it quicker if there were less distractions in my kitchen.  The sauce is amazing with the sweet, salty, sour combination and so easy.   I loved how the broccoli held lots of sauce in the florets.  This will be on regular rotation at chez GGG.

This is my second recipe going to Steph for the that recipe seems very familiar... event being held to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of Planet VegMel.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: PPN Pea lasagne
This time two years ago: Fruit scones, yellow and uncertainty
This time three years ago: NCR: Spring Strawberry Soup

Matthew's Delicious Tofu
Adapted from the Garden of Vegan via K, Cindy and Mel
serves 3-4

1 tbsp oil*
350g firm tofu**
Few cups of chopped vegetables (I used carrots, broccoli, capsicum, baby silverbeet, mushrooms, cauliflower, cos lettuce)
3 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp chilli sauce
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
Cooked rice or noodles, to serve

Chop and lightly steam the vegies.***

Heat oil in a large heavy based frypan.   Fry tofu over a high heat until golden brown and crispy.  While the tofu fries, make the sauce by mixing the maple syrup, soy sauce, lemon juice and chilli sauce.

Once tofu is golden brown, remove from pan and fry the garlic and ginger for about 1 minute.****  Return tofu to the frypan and add about half the sauce.  Fry over high heat until tofu absorbs the sauce.  Add vegies and the rest of the sauce.  Stir for a minute or two to heat through.

Serve over rice or noodles.

NOTES:
*Any neutral oil that can be used at a high temperature is fine - eg canola, rice bran,
**Ideally the tofu should be pressed for about an hour but depending on the time available I would just pat with a towel or wrap in a teatowel and press while I prepare the vegies.   
***When I first made this recipe I prepared the vegies while I was frying the tofu but I think the tofu got a bit too cooked this way and didn't absorb the vegies ok.  
****I usually don't remove the tofu from the pan when I cook the garlic and ginger but have kept this in the recipe because others say this. 

On the stereo:
(Days in the Wake) Palace Brothers: Palace Brothers